Marius Petipa (11 March 1818 – 14 July 1910) - Unrivaled ballet master of the Tsar`s Imperial Ballet of St. Petersburg Russia from about 1862 until around 1905. He laid the foundations for modern Classical Ballet and the Russian school of classical dance, as generations of dancers from the late 19th century in turn took the art of ballet to the world. He was the creator of over 100 ballets, some of which have survived and have remained cornerstones of the modern Classical Ballet repertoire.

Life

Marius Petipa was born in Marseilles, France on March 11, 1822. From the start, Marius Petipa had theatre in his blood - his father Jean Petipa was a dancer, choreographer and teacher, and his mother Victorine Grasseu, was an actress. They brought up both Marius and his elder brother, Lucien Petipa, to follow the similar professions. Lucien made a better name for himself as a dancer; among the many roles he created was that of Albert (Albrecht) in Giselle.

The Original Works and Revivals of Marius Petipa for the Imperial Ballet of Russia